From the covered part of the terrace, Elena rose from one of the sofas to greet her.
‘Grace, welcome.’
‘It’s a pleasure to be here. What a truly stunning home you have.’
Elena indicated for her to sit down out of the sun.
‘Thank you. It has been in my family since it was built and passed down the generations.’
Ah, so Grace had her answer. Family money.
‘I was born here. And apart from my time at university in Athens, I have always lived here. When I married Giannis, we did a big renovation, but kept all the original features.’
Grace couldn’t help but compare it to Will’s much more modest house above the cove. She hadn’t got as far as looking inside, but it was a lot more manageable. In this house, you’d be frightened of breaking something. She had a couple of wealthy friends, and some with virtually no money, but she preferred being somewhere in the middle.
The housekeeper was still hovering behind her mistress, waiting for instructions.
‘Grace, would you like coffee?’
‘Yes, please. Is some sort of cappuccino possible?’
‘Yes, of course. We have everything you could want. Just an espresso for me, Anastasia.’
‘Yes, madam.’
Anastasia bustled off, and Grace couldn’t help but take another look at the view.
Elena got up and walked towards the edge of the terrace.
‘Come and see.’
Grace dutifully followed.
‘We have our own swimming platform here, with metal ladders leading down into the water, as well as a mooring for our boat. Giannis is out on the boat today, entertaining clients, which is why I thought it would be a good time to talk about the children.’
Grace nodded and inspected the mooring as instructed. With lessons over for the day, she could only hope that he wasn’t entertaining Anna as well.
Beneath the expert heavy makeup, Grace could still spot the dark circles under Elena’s eyes. This woman wasn’t sleeping. Plus, she’d lost weight since their in-person interview back in the spring in London. Grace remembered thinking it slightly strange at the time that Elena’s first reaction to her had been relief.
Grace had deliberately dressed down on that day in a severe navy suit and flat shoes, with her hair tied back and minimal makeup. It had been her first interview for a very long time, and she’d thought that dour traffic-warden vibes were the way to go.
But it was all starting to make sense. It looked like Giannis had form, and Elena knew she’d be safe with Grace. But she was loving the job, and her time in Greece, so why her rather than someone else still didn’t matter. She couldn’t believe that Elena had agreed to employ a bombshell like Anna though, if that was the way the wind was blowing, but maybe it hadn’t been her choice.
Anastasia returned with a tray of coffee and a plate piled high with mini pastries.
‘Shall I pour, madam?’
Elena waved a hand in the housekeeper’s direction.
‘No, we’re fine, thank you.’
Her boss’s hand shook as she passed the cup to Grace.
‘Please… help yourself.’ Elena indicated the pastries. ‘They’re all homemade.’
Not by you, I’ll bet, thought Grace, before choosing a bougatsa and what she hoped was a mini chocolate croissant.
She’d learnt that to refuse food from a Greek was tantamount to offending them. It was an expression of being welcome in their home, and even a simple coffee had to be accompanied by a little something.
